The 23 of 20-13! (Most Anticipated!)

Hi all!

Well, it's almost brand new year! 2012 had its fair share of ups and downs and but I would say it's an overall positive year. And although I didn't meet all of my blogger goals, I had a fantastic first ten months of blogging and can't wait to see what the new year brings! 2013 looks like it's going to be an absolutely insane year for book releases! I attempted to narrow down my list...but I just ended up adding more. There are just so many releases! I managed to get it to 23 (which sort of rhymes with 2013) but even that was difficult! I'm sure I missed some but here's my list of my most anticipated of 2013!

January

Jan. 8th: Just One Day by Gayle Forman - I adore Gayle Forman and her stunning prose and I'm sure Just One Day will soon become a favorite of mine.

Jan. 29th: Asunder by Jodi Meadows - Incarnate was one of my favorite books of 2012 and Asunder is poised to be just as beautiful and soul-wrenching as the first.

February

 

Feb. 5th: House Rules by Chloe Neill - The Chicagoland Vampires series is one of my favorites and it just gets better and better as it progresses!
 

Feb 5th: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi - Finally, finally FINALLY! I've been desperate for this book since last year and I cannot believe it's almost in my hands!
 

Feb. 12th: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead - The end of the The Golden Lily. That is all.

Feb. 19th: Sever by Lauren DeStefano - Such a talented author and such gorgeous writing. I'll be sad to see this one end.

*Side Note: EVERYONE should also pick up Mind Games by Kiersten White this month because it is FANTASTIC*

March

March 5th: Requiem by Lauren Oliver - I really, really hope that this redeems the series. Delirium was brilliant, but I wasn't a Pandemonium fan. Hopefully this will be the ending this series deserves!
 

March 19th: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - Cassandra Clare is pretty good at doing endings so I'm really intrigued to see what she'll do with this one!
 

March 21st: 17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma - I only read the prologue of this so far and I'm in love. Fantastic writing and what looks to be a fantastic story!

April

April 1st: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent - *cue ALL THE TEARS EVER* No! Not the last story with Tod! No! I can't! *hides in a corner*
 

April 2nd: Light by Michael Grant - Another series I've been with since the beginning and will be heart-broken to read the ending!
 

April 23rd: Game by Barry Lyga - Um, how awesome was I Hunt Killers guys? It made me love horror!
 

April 30th: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins - I adored Sweet Evil and I'm so insanely excited to dive into this world again!

May

May 1st: Oath Bound by Rachel Vincent - Rachel Vincent, how are you so awesome? Cannot wait to dive back into this dark and twisted world.

May 14th: School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins - Hex Hall spin-off? Heck to the yes.

June

 

June 4th: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead - A. New. Adult. Richelle. Mead. Book. FINALLY. I'm a huge Richelle Mead fan, regardless of age group but I've missed her adult books and cannot wait to read this new one!

August (my birthday month!)

Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep - 2012 brought the fantabulous Mythos Academy series onto my radar and MY GOODNESS I need this book now.

September

 
Sept. 10th: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake - A new series from one fan-freakin-tastic author. What's not to love?

Sept 26th: Fire With Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian - Where my wicked girls at? *wink*

No Release Date (Yet)

Ilsa and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - The long awaited conclusion to the awesome series is almost in our grasp!
 
Untitled Divergent #3 by Veronica Roth - UM. I'm not sure how I'm going to wait until Fall for this one. Can I haz now pleeeease?


Untitled Raven Boys #2 by Maggie Stiefvater - GANSEY. Need I say more?

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I think we're all super curious to find out what's really going on in this twisted story! I, for one, am desperate to find out the ending!

Well! Look at that! What an awesome set of books coming out in the new year! And there's tons more I didn't list. So, what's your most anticipated of 2013?

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Review: One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Title: One Night That Changes Eveything

Author: Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: July 6th, 2010

Source: Borrowed (Thanks, Katie!)

My Rating: 4.5/5 

A hilarious and sweet teen novel by Lauren Barnholdt, the author of two-way street.

Two years ago, when Eliza Sellman was in ninth grade, her dad found out he was being transfered and the family was going to move. Having always been shy and not so confident about her body, Eliza took that opportunity to start a list in her private notebook of all the things she planned on doing when she moved but had always been afraid to--like wearing a miniskirt and asking guys to dance; singing karaoke in front of strangers; posting a photo of herself on her Facebook wall in a bikini...you get the idea. New town, new Eliza, right? Well, she'll never know because the transfer fell through and they didn't move. But Eliza kept adding her goals and secret fears to the list in the notebook. Now it's two years later, and in that time Eliza has had and lost her first boyfriend. But this was more than your average breakup...turns out the sweet and cute Cooper was only dating her as a hazing stunt by a secret society. Eliza got her revenge by posting some pretty nasty (and only sort-of true) stuff about Cooper online. That posting has had major consequences and now Cooper and his buddies have stolen her private notebook and won't give it back until she performs all the things on her list in one night. It's torture...until Eliza steals something from the boys she knows they'll want to trade her notebook for. What starts out as a night of humiliation turns into a night of revelations as Eliza learns what Cooper was really thinking when they dated, the real reason he's stolen her notebook, and how freeing--and life-changing--it can be to do the things you fear the most.

 
Okay, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into with this book. My awesome blogger friend Katie lent me two Lauren Barnholdt books and declared that I had to read them because they were amazing. I figured if she was giving them such high praise, I would enjoy them as well. I decided to pick up One Night That Changes Everything first because I loved the idea and my goodness was I shocked. I didn't just enjoy it, I absolutely freakin' LOVED it. It made me immediately read the other book Katie lent me (Watch Me) and go out an buy another Lauren Barnholdt book because I adored it so much. One Night That Changes Everything rocketed Lauren Barnholdt onto my "awesome authors" list with a bang.  

I'm usually not a fan of books that happen solely in the span of a night. Now, that's not the say that I will dislike the book because it has that element, but it's one that has to be done well for me to enjoy it. Lauren Barnholdt did superbly. Having Eliza (who I will gush my love for soon enough), her two crazy friends, and maybe-not-so-evil-ex-boyfriend run around Boston for one crazy night was perfect. It was the right story for the one-day plot line and kept me completely captivated for the whole story. And the plot itself was just so much fun! Watching Eliza face some of her greatest fears was heart-warming and so cute. And Eliza herself was such a delight. I loved her narration, her fierce little heart, and her stubborn attitude. She rambled on nervously, freaked out at points, and was completely and totally her hilarious self. She had to do somethings that terrified her but she fought through and kept her wits about her. Eliza was simply epic. Her friends, each with their hilarious quirks had me in stitches. And my heart my have done a few little squeezes when a certain boy was in the picture. Actually, my heart was doing all kinds of things during this book! I was so into it, I was having my own freakouts!

I think one of the best things about this novel is the writing. It was absolutely hilarious! I was laughing out loud, had a smile constantly on my face and basically wanted Eliza to be my bff. The writing was also really realistic, and made me really connected to the characters and the story. I could picture Eliza perfectly, and I felt like I knew her so well! The writing was just so smart and fun I couldn't get enough of it.

In short: One Night That Changes Everything was spectacular. I adored everything about it and have now placed Lauren Barnholdt at the top of my "must read" list!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Find This Book: Amazon | Goodreads | Lauren Barnholdt's Website 
 

December Best Of

Hello, all!

It's time for me to talk about the best books I read in December! Since I did my "Best of 2012" series at the beginning of the month, I decided to do a feature at the end to talk about those awesome December books! I didn't read many books this month but the few I did were pretty spectacular. So, here are the stand-outs (and what categories I would have nominated them for).

Mind Games by Kiersten White

I'm going to save my gushing for my review (which will be published closer to the release date) but this book was absolutely ridiculously spectacular. One of my favorite books period. Brilliant, beautiful, and just plain ol' awesome.

Categories Nominated For

Best Protagonist

Best Love Interest

Best Cover

Best Writing

Best Book of 2012

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

I became really emotionally invested in this novel and in the characters! Really well done, and Jennifer Echols is now on my must-read list!

Categories Nominated For

Best Love Interest

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Adored the writing in this book and Eliza was such a fabulous protagonist! Lauren Barnholdt is fantastic.

Categories Nominated For

Best Protagonist

Best Writing

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

(Note: This is an ADULT book)

Chloe Neill never disappoints and this latest installment of the Chicagoland Vampires series was just as brilliant as the last few! Adore the characters so so much.

Categories Nominated For

Best Protagonist

Best Love Interest

So, there you have it! I'll hopefully be posting my Most Anticipated of 2013 up on New Year's Eve!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight) 

Stacking the Shelves (20)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which bloggers share the books they stacked their shelves with during the week!

Hi, guys!

So, I've been a bit of a bad blogger but really, it's the holidays! I've been having fun with the family, working a ton, and enjoying Christmas (aka my favorite holiday). I meant to post a Stacking the Shelves last week but I just didn't have the time. So this is an insanely large post which includes Employee Appreciation weekend, crazy bargains, and my Christmas haul! (And, speaking of being an employee....I was offered regular season employment at Chapters! YAY! I'm really excited, and so grateful that I was chosen). Here is my haul (and apologizes for the poor picture quality, and for the two pics that didn't work)!

Bought (Employee Appreciation Weekend/Bargain Craziness):

Entice (Need #3) by Carrie Jones
- I've been meaning to pick this one up since I own the first two and decided to take advantage of the sale!
After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn
-I wasn't planning on buying this one but, as I was running around Chapters I spotted this on the bargain table. I noticed a little sticker on the cover and decided to check it out. Lo and behold I found out that it was in fact a SIGNED copy! I just had to buy it after that!

Once Burned (Night Prince #1) by Jeaniene Frost
- Jeaniene Frost rocks my socks!
Such a Rush by Jennifer Echol
- I read Going Too Far recently and loved it! I needed more Jennifer Echols!
Balthazar (Evernight #5) by Claudia Gray
- I really liked the Evernight series so I'm looking forward to reading about Balthazar
Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1) by Kerstin Gier
- On bargain!
Withering Tights (Misadventures of Tallulah Casey #1) by Louise Rennison
- Heard from my awesome friend that

Borrowed (ARCs) (Thanks, Kathy!):
(ARC) Just One Day (Just One Day #1) by Gayle Forman
- So pumped to start this! I know it'll be fabulous!
(ARC) The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) by Megan Shepard
- Sounds crazy intriguing!  

Christmas Haul!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
- Read this a long while back and it was gorgeous. Can't wait to reread it!
Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman
- I've already read this one but I absolutely love it and needed it for my collection!
The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead
- (As you can tell, I asked for lots of books I've already read for Christmas!) Needed this book and was ecstatic to find it under the tree! 
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
- One of my favorite books this year now sits proudly on my shelf!
The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin
- I want to check this one out again so I can see the difference between the ARC and the finished copy!
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
- Sounds awesome and it won lots of awards!
Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- So...I finally caved. Now, let's hope this book lives up to the hype!
The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson
- Finallyyyyy. I've been wanting to pick this up since it came out and now I have it in pretty paperback form!
This Dark Endeavour (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1) by Kenneth Oppel
- I've heard spectacular things and I can't wait to read it!
Spark (Elemental #2) by Brigid Kemmerer
- Loved Storm and I'm positively giddy to read its sequel!
Burn For Burn (Burn for Burn #1) by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

DVDs
Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
Firefly, Season 1
Sherlock, Seasons 1 & 2

CDs
Babel by Mumford & Sons
Close the Distance by Go Radio

Boxing Day Haul 
(There were some awesome sauce deals this week!)
Where the Wild Things Are
Gossip Girl, Season 3
Supernatural, Season 1
Holes
Just Dance 3
Sims 3: Pets
Sims 3: Supernatural (you can make zombies!)

Well, that's a lot of stuff! I'm not sure where I'm going to put it all! Until next time, folks!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight) 

Review + GIVEAWAY: Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Crimson Frost (Mythos Academy #4)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: December 24th, 2012

Source: ARC Recieved from author for an honest review

My Rating: 5/5

**WARNING: This summary contains spoilers for previous Mythos books! (My review, though, is SPOILER FREE)**

For a moment, a face flashed before my eyes—the most hideous face I’d ever seen. No matter how hard I tried to forget what had happened, I saw him everywhere I went. It was Loki—the evil god that I’d helped set free against my will.

I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself…

 
I don't think my heart has entirely recovered from what I put it through reading this book. I don't even know if I can properly express how much I loved Crimson Frost. It was exactly the book I wanted to read and so so much more. Can I say it was perfect? Cause it just might be. It was just purely and simply fan-freakin-tastic.

Let me just say this up front: Gwen Frost, please be my best friend. She is spunky, fierce and sometimes a bit on the overwhelmed side. She's a real and genuine character, determined to do what's right despite the constant obstacles in her way. And even when it seems like too much, she manages to pull together and keep fighting. And, always keeps her sarcasm and wit about her! Her trusty love interest Logan, has to face a few new challenges in this novel, but he never loses his faith in Gwen. He's there for her, even when it means going against his family and the rest of the school. We got to see his warm, dashing side a lot in this novel and my, oh my, was it swoon-worthy. Daphne was her hiliarious, adorable and temperamental self and made me want to hug her through the whole book. Carson, her band geek boyfriend, was as endearing as always and the two together were just too cute for words. We get to meet a few new characters in this book, some of which I loved (Alexei) and others which I wanted to sock in the face (I will leave this blank to save from spoiling). All together, the characters in this book were just simply fantastic and made this book spectacular.   

I always know to put aside a day for Mythos books because I cannot stop once I start. And Crimson Frost was no exception. That first chapter had my jaw dropping and I knew there was no way I was putting this down until I found out just what the heck was going on. The plot continued to twist and turn, shocking me, angering me (there was one particular scene in which I may have shouted some angry words at the book), make me laugh and even making me cry. It was a crazy thrill-ride and I seriously loved every bit of it.

If you haven't started the Mythos Academy series, you need to get on that. Like, right now. They are awesome, hug-worthy books that just keep getting better and better! 

GIVEAWAY!

And now, for a giveaway! Jennifer Estep was kind enough to send me a bunch of Crimson Frost bookmarks to giveaway to you guys! They're pretty awesome. There should be more than one winner (if I did this whole Rafflecopter thing correctly) that will receive a couple bookmarks! 

Rules are as followed:

- Must be 13 years or older

- Open to US/CANADA ONLY (sorry, international folks! I'm too broke for the shipping fees!)

- Contest runs from now until Dec. 31st!

- You DO NOT have to be a GFC follower to enter (you can get extra entries, but it's not required) 

- Fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And there you have it! Good luck, all!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight) 

Find This Book: Amazon | Goodreads | Jennifer Estep's Website